Downtown Memphis Blog

Just got around to putting some pics up.

I’ve posted pics of the food before (here), so I snapped a pic of the menu and some of the inside.

It’s an ancient deli with fantastic food, I highly suggest you check it out. I tried to get as good a pic of the menu as possible, but it’s still a little blurry. I’ll try to see if I can talk to the guy into letting me take a copy of the menu to scan, because I’m probably going back in a few hours for breakfast.

Just so Cecily could wear her painfully appropriate shirt.

I got a giant rocks margarita

and the combo with two tacos, rice, and beans.

Delicious as usual. Can’t really go wrong with Rio Loco.

Cecily got the combo with a taco, an enchilada, and a poblano pepper.

We’re still not entirely sure what the poblano pepper was, but it was pretty tasty.

Rio Loco’s Website

I always forget that South Philly delivers. I drove by there today and decided to try it for dinner.

I got the classic philly with provalone, hot peppers, and onions. It was pretty damn good, not quite as good Heavenly Hoagie, but pretty close, and a lot easier for downtown residents, since they’re located in Peabody place and deliver. Sorry the pics suck, i was hungry.

Cecily got their Italian sub, she seemed to like it, other than it being too big to actually fit in a normal human (midget)’s mouth. I’m sure she’ll post something about it later.

Overall, pretty damn good and super easy. Nice change from Pizza and Chinese if you don’t feel like cooking or leaving the house.

On May 28, I turned 27, thus my lack of posting. I’ve been celebrating. I haven’t posted anything about it because I more or less stayed to my usual haunts. Kooky Canuck, Black Diamond, etc.

That being said, I still have to do a birthday dinner with my girlfriend and maybe parents or other friends, and it will likely be at Automatic Slims, since I’m really anxious to explore their menu more, given my good experience there so far.

Also, a good friend of mine recently became a victim of the slow economy. He’s a bartender with over a decade of experience and dozens of regulars who will follow him anywhere, myself included. Plus any place he works will be very likely to be talked about here on a regular basis. If you’re looking for a bartender, email me the basics and I’ll forward them to him.

Anyway, I’m back to regular posting, so check back soon.

I think my answer is fairly self evident, just click the “Food” category

CA post:

http://thememphisblog.com/mashed-potatoes-cupcakes-macncheese/

Basically they’re Huey’s version of the “Slider”. I order the “Trio”, to try the different varieties. The Bacon Cheddar is my favorite, but all are pretty good. The jalapeno swiss ones are basically a tiny Senor Huey, and the mushroom swiss ones are basically a Madison Avenue. The buns are really good too, they might be what brings it all together. The onion straws they come with were surprisingly tasty too. I think I’ll probably end up subbing fries half the time, because they seem like something I would have to be in the mood for, but they’re certainly unique.

I’ll likely just get the bacon cheddar burgers from now on, but they’re all worth a try.

But my last post only had bad cell phone pics. I got it to go this time, so here’s a real picture.

I was afraid Cecily was going to take me up on my request, so we went to dinner at Automatic Slim’s tonight. I wish I had gone sooner.

We started with the Coconut Shrimp appetizer, which was delicious. So much so that we devoured them before we remembered to take a pic, here’s the aftermath:

The we had some bread while waiting on our food. It was also great, we had already devastated about half of it when we remembered to take a pic. Perfectly warm and soft and the oil and pesto for dipping was great too.

I opted for the sassafras chicken. It was absolutely spectacular. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, and well presented. I ate every bit of it, even though I was painfully full 3/4 of the way through. I specifically ordered this dish because it’s similar to the last thing I got from the old Slim’s. The old version was bland, dry, and tasteless. This is the absolute polar opposite. Honestly some of the best chicken I’ve had in a very long time. It’s a regular menu item, so I can certainly see it being my go to dish here if I don’t want to try a special. I very highly suggest it. If you don’t like it, your opinion is stupid and wrong.

Cecily opted for the Voodoo stew. It’s not on their menu on the website, so I’m not sure if it’s a seasonal item or just a new edition. The presentation was very cool. The stew itself was also fantastic, the base was very unique, with distinct cajun flavor. It was served with Sriracha on the side of the dish so you can increase the heat to your liking. The stew consists of (from memory) crab, shrimp, mussels, rice, crawfish, and probably other things we’re forgetting. I’ll check the menu next time and edit this post if I missed anything.

Here’s a pic of the stew, in all it’s crabby glory:

Overall, I’d say my predictions were accurate. The food is greatly improved with Michael Patrick in the kitchen. Slim’s is certainly worth checking out now, and has instantly become one of my favorite restaurants. Give it a shot, you won’t be sorry.

http://www.automaticslimsmemphis.com/

I keep running into Mike Patrick, former head chef of EP’s and now head chef of Automatic Slim’s, and saying I’ll stop by for dinner, yet I keep forgetting about Slim’s when it’s time to pick a place to eat. I’ve never had anything come out of a Mike Patrick kitchen that was any less than fantastic, I just never think of slims because I wasn’t a fan of the menu under the previous ownership. I’ll make sure I check it out this week, you should do the same.

http://www.automaticslimsmemphis.com/

I went there for dinner tuesday, but didn’t take any pictures or anything as I was with a big group and didn’t want to interrupt the conversation to try and grab a picture. I had the Mardi Gras pasta then, and was really impressed with it.

Tonight I went back with just one person, and was again impressed. This time I got (bad phone) pics. Better than nothing though!

I had the Catfish Thibadoux, the server’s suggestion. It’s a big fillet of catfish stuffed with shrimp, topped with a jalapeno cream sauce, and served over citrus rice with vegetables. It was excellent. Crispy, light, great combination of flavors, and unlike a lot of places, they aren’t afraid to put a little heat in their dishes. It’s not overwhelming, or hot for the sake of hotness, but it certainly has some edge to it.

The iPhone hates restaurant lighting, but pulling out a camera with a flash and all at a restaurant is such a dick move.

My date got the Crawfish and Asparagus stuffed Redfish. I didn’t try it, as I was way too full, but she loved it. I’ll get it myself soon and do a full review, but I think I’m going to try their steak next, as it’s supposed to be great. Here’s the stuffed Redfish.

So far I haven’t had anything bad from their kitchen. I suggest you try it out if you haven’t.

http://www.orleansonfront.com/